A refrigerator is an electric home appliance for keeping foods in a fresh state for a long time by freezing or refrigerating the foods. In the refrigerator, there is provided a storage space for storing foods to be refrigerated or frozen. A receiving container such as a vegetable box is installed in the storage space such that the receiving container can be accommodated in or taken out from the storage space. Furthermore, guide rails for guiding the vegetable box or the like are installed on both side surfaces defining the storage space.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where a conventional guide rail for a refrigerator is mounted in a storage space. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the conventional guide rail when viewed at the rear of the guide rail. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the conventional guide rail mounted in the storage space is used.
As shown in these figures, guide ribs 11 are provided at the same level on both side surfaces of an inner case 10 that defines a storage space of a refrigerator. The guide ribs 11 are formed to protrude in a direction in which the both side surfaces of the inner case 10 face each other, i.e., toward the interior of the storage space, and to be elongated in a fore and aft direction. The guide ribs 11 are to substantially guide a receiving container 40 (see FIG. 6) that is accommodated in or taken out from the storage space.
Each of the guide ribs 11 includes an upper guide rib 13 and a lower guide rib 15. The upper guide rib 13 and the lower guide rib 15 are provided to be vertically spaced apart by a certain distance from each other. Furthermore, the lower guide rib 15 more extends forward relative to the upper guide rib 13. Moreover, a lower portion of the lower guide rib 15 is provided with an inclined portion 15A that is inclined downwardly toward the inner case 10.
Further, a fastening hole (not shown) and a pair of fastening grooves (not shown) are formed in a region on each of the both side surfaces of the inner case 10 in the vicinity of the guide rib 11. A screw S1 penetrating a through-hole 21H, which will be described later, is screwed into the fastening hole. Furthermore, locking hooks 22 that will be described later are fastened to the fastening grooves.
Guide rails 20 are installed in regions on the both side surfaces of the inner case 10 in front of the guide ribs 11. The guide rails 20 function to substantially extend the lengths of the guide ribs 11. To this end, when the guide rails 20 are installed on the both side surfaces of the inner case 10, rear ends of the guide rails 20 abut on front ends of the guide ribs 11.
Rail bodies 21 of the guide rails 20 are formed to be elongated in a lengthwise direction, and back faces of the rail bodies are in close contact with the both side surfaces of the inner case 10. The through-hole 21H is formed at a side of each of the rail bodies 21. The through-hole 21H is a hole through which the screw S1 to be screwed into the fastening hole penetrates.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, the pair of locking hooks 22 is provided on the back face of each of the rail bodies 21. On the back face of the rail body 21, the locking hooks 22 are positioned to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance with respect to the through-hole 21H. Each of the locking hooks 22 is formed of a pair of hook members that are vertically spaced apart by a certain distance from each other so as to be elastically deformed. The locking hooks 22 are inserted into the fastening grooves in a state where the back faces of the rail bodies 21 are brought into close contact with the both side surfaces of the inner case 10.
Furthermore, opposite surfaces of the guide rail 20 are provided with an upper guide portion 23 and a lower guide portion 25. The upper guide portion 23 is formed to be elongated in the fore and aft direction at the same level as the upper guide rib 13. Furthermore, the lower guide portion 25 is formed to be elongated in the fore and aft direction at the same level as the lower guide rib 15.
As shown in FIG. 6, the upper guide ribs 13 and the upper guide portions 23 are to support a shelf 30. The shelf 30 is accommodated in or taken out from the storage space while being moved in the fore and aft direction in a state where both side ends of a bottom surface of the shelf are supported on upper surfaces of the upper guide ribs 13 and the upper guide portions 23. Furthermore, the lower guide ribs 15 and the lower guide portions 25 are to support a receiving box 40. That is, the receiving box 40 is accommodated in or taken out from the storage space while being moved in the fore and aft direction of the storage space in a state where support ribs provided at upper ends of both side surfaces of the receiving box 40 are supported on upper surfaces of the lower guide ribs 15 and the lower guide portions 25.
However, such a conventional guide rail for a refrigerator has the following problems.
As described above, the receiving box 40 is moved in the fore and aft direction within the storage space in the state where the support ribs are supported by the upper guide ribs 13 and the upper guide portions 23. However, since foods are contained in the receiving box 40, a load may be concentrated only on any one of the upper guide rib 13 and the upper guide portion 23 in the process of moving the receiving box 40 in the fore and aft direction within the storage space. That is, in a state where a front end of the receiving box 40 is taken out from the storage space and only a rear end of the receiving box 40 is supported by the upper guide portion 23, a load of the receiving box 40 may be concentrated only on a front end of the upper guide portion 23.
However, since the guide rails 20 are fixed to the both side surfaces of the inner case 10 by the screws S1, the guide rails 20 are rotated about the screws S1 by the load of the receiving box 40. Thus, the guide rails 20 cannot be maintained in a horizontal state, so that the guide rails 20 cannot correctly guide the movement of the receiving box 40.
Furthermore, if the guide rails 20 are rotated about the screws S1 and thus cannot be maintained in the horizontal state, certain external forces are also exerted on the locking hooks 22 that are inserted into the fastening grooves. Hence, the inner case 10 and/or the guide rails 20 may be damaged.